General Wot no pollen filter?

[HP]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_filter

The filter goes in before the air con chiller unit. As explained above it helps prevent gunk collecting on the unit and helps prevent mould growth and resultant in car pong. Most air con equipped cars have them fitted for this reason.

 

[doctorchris]

The aircon condenser is in the engine compartment, the filter is in the cabin of the car. How can the air pass over the filter before it reaches the condenser?

 

[doctorchris]

I've now done a bit more research and find that to a certain extent I have been talking through my arse.
The component that may need protection from becoming clogged is the evaporator and this does indeed sit within the car's cabin. However, one source of information I looked at talked about the water condensing on the evaporator trapping pollen and dust which then wash away when this water drains off. I cannot find a definitive answer as to whether the cabin filter sits up or downstream of the evaporator, but if air entering the evaporator is relatively moist then it would make more sense for a paper filter to be downstream and filtering dry air.
I think I'll go onto the HonestJohn website for an answer from the technical whizzes there.

 

[HP]

When you chill the air, the amount of water it can hold in suspension drops so the water comes out as condensation. It's the same principal as if it's cold outside your house and hot inside, condensation can form on the windows as they are colder (ok, forget that you might have decent double glazing!).
This is why cars with air con can have a bit of a piddle on the floor in hot weather, it's the condensed water dripping out.

If the chiller unit is wet and you have muck entrained in the air, it can stick to the chiller far more readily than it will to a normal heater matrix. The wet gunk can form 'orrible bacterial substances and start to smell - there are many places offering services to decontaminate air con systems because of exactly this.

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

Although 'interesting', this has drifted away from the original question, which I don't think was answered... I too have a 'blanking panel' where the filter might go, with two little plastic tabs with screw holes in them, but no screws, just like in rolyapples photo. So, does this mean there's no filter in my car? (Panda 4x4, no aircon)

My other car's a Multipla, and there, the filter is changed by opening a panel on the outside of the car, just by the wipers, which seems much easier to reach.

 

[doctorchris]

As I said before, this is the same set up as on my daughter's 1.1 Active without aircon. On her car the cover for the cabin filter housing is irremovable, hence no need for retaining screws, which very much suggests to me that there is no filter to change. Therefore, aircon means filter, no aircon, no filter. If you don't have a filter, to quote Monty Python's Life of Brian "you lucky b*****d", cos the job is a sod to do and I still have the scars on my fingers to prove it.

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

Ah ha - I'd missed that earlier reply about the Active. So no filter for me either, but if the Eleganza's all have air con (do they?), I wonder why rolyapples filter cover is sealed? Sometimes dealers locate a 'close model' in terms of colour etc that's already on order and add extras to it to bring it to the required spec* as a way of shortening the factory delivery times. I wonder if that's happened here. Take a right-colour Dynamic, add alloys, fogs and air con, etc , but the original heater casing gets left in place as you'd have to dismantle the whole car to get that out.

(* as I heard a local dealer explain the other day, on how to reduce order time from 12 weeks to 8 for a new 500)

 

[doctorchris]

Just a short note to say that replacing the pollen/cabin filter on my Panda has led to much less misting up, quicker warming up of the cabin and a sweeter smell (except when I fart, sorry to have to share that with you).

 

[upnorth]

Sorry to be Mr. Miserable, but it'd mist-up even less without a filter due to improved airflow. However, I'm not sure whether it'd help with own your 'airflow'! hehe

 

[HP]

I wonder if the original ones get choked up, I remember reading that quite a few of us had the cabin fill with dust from the heater on the first drive out....

 

[rolyapples]

I sent an email to Fiat customer support last Friday using their website asking them to help me locate my wayward pollen filter, but despite their promise of a reply within 24 hours haven't heard anything yet.

As for whether my Eleganza is a retro-upgraded lesser model, that's interesting because when I bought it I was told that it had already been manufactured and just needed to be shipped to the UK (so was a 4 week wait rather than 12) - so that could have included the time to do the upgrading. Surely it'd be more effort than it's worth for them though - wouldn't they have to replace whole bits of the dashboard to get the aircon controls, and stick the compressor somewhere in its guts.

I suspect it's more likely that someone just screwed up and put the wrong bit in... I'm determined to get an answer from Fiat though - maybe I can get them to give me something in return for not getting them to retro-fit it? :devil:

 

[HP]

Maybe a question of what parts were available at the time...

 

[rolyapples]

So Fiat Customer Service finally responded to my email and said:

In regards to your enquiry, checking the current brochure it state that the 1.2 Eleganza Fiat Panda would not come with air conditioning and pollen filter as standard, it also isn’t available as an option.
If you are unhappy with this or believe your vehicle was advertised with this as standard, I would recommend speaking to our customer relations department on free phone 00800 342 80000 (option 3) where a dedicated advisor will open up a case and look into this for you.
I hope this is of assistance.

So not only do they not have the knowledge of the cars they produce, they can't even read their own brochure properly :bang:

I guess I'll give them a call to see if I get an answer from someone less clueless.

 

[puffed out daddy]

So Fiat Customer Service finally responded to my email and said:



So not only do they not have the knowledge of the cars they produce, they can't even read their own brochure properly :bang:

I guess I'll give them a call to see if I get an answer from someone less clueless.

well my 55 plate eleganza had full climate control, looks like some one has got there wires crossed.

 

[HP]

My late 2005 dualogic eleganza was having its 2nd annual service yesterday and I asked them to make sure the pollen filter got changed. When I went to collect it, there was nothing about the filter on the sheet they tick the boxes on (to make it look like they've actually done something). I asked, and they said that it didn't need a pollen filter (they checked with someone in the "workshop" too).

So today I had a look for the fabled filter and found this:

- so there's what looks like a slot that's a bit bigger than the slot on the CD player, and two screw holes with no screws.

I can't work out if there's supposed to be a filter there but it's missing, or if this is a blanking plate that doesn't allow the filter to be fitted - anyone got any ideas?

I thought all the Pandas with aircon were supposed to have filters

Just changed my pollen filter today. Mine looks exactly like the one in the picture above - two screw holes in the cover, two holes in the body to accept the threads but - no screws.

The cover on mine just clips into place, give it a good tug from the bottom and it comes free. There was a filter fitted, easy to change - just bend it through an arc toward the rear of the car when removing, do the same when refitting. The filter itself is very flexible.

5 minute job, the oil hadn't even finished draining out the sump by the time I'd sorted it.

 

[rolyapples]

HP - thanks for that info. I did try to see if that cover would come off, but didn't try too hard in case it broke. I'll give it another go at some point.

 

[doctorchris]

Ye jammy bugger, no silly 5.5mm bolts holding the cover on. If anybody else has a cover with no bolts and wants to remove it, my experience is that it unclips more easily from the top rather than the bottom.
I might just see if the cover comes off my daughter's non-aircon 1.1 active but I bet there is no filter even if it does come off.